Every April on ANZAC Day, we honour and remember the brave men and women of New Zealand and Australia, who served and sacrificed in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions. We also acknowledge the contributions and hardships of all who have served.

The West Coast Rugby community for well over 100 years have had many brave souls who swapped Rugby uniforms for service ones, and one such hero who tragically lost his life serving his country, was West Coast born and raised, Leslie (Les) Arthur Martyn.

Martyn was born in Kumara on the 30th of March in 1909, to Edward and Jessie Martyn, and educated at Greymouth Technical College, and following his school days, worked as an accountant for the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department.

As a Rugby player, Martyn made his West Coast debut against Buller on the wing on June 7th 1930, where the 21-year-old made a big impact in his first outing, kicking 11 points in the 25-19 victory at Victoria Park in Greymouth.  On Martyn's goal kicking, the Grey River Argus summary of the match, reported of the points that West Coast scored, that "eleven of which were obtained by the excellent goal kicking of Martyn, three of whose efforts were penalty goals from awkward positions, that had to be judged against a cross wind".

Such was the impression he made, the youngster was included in the West Coast-Buller combined team reserves, to play the touring British Isles team just days later at Victoria Park in Greymouth, but Martyn ended up starting on the wing after the late withdrawal through injury of his Excelsior R.F.C and West Coast team mate Jack King.

Martyn kicked a penalty and conversion in the match, and with the game level at 11-11 and only 15 minutes remaining, the crowd of over 5,000 believed a massive upset could have been on the cards. Sadly for the combined team, the tourists scored 23 unanswered points in the last period of the game, to run out 34-11 winners.

In 1932, Martyn, this time with the Cobden R.F.C, was also to feature in West Coast's very first Ranfurly Shield match against Canterbury at Lancaster Park, a game that would go down in West Coast history as one of the most controversial. Martyn, who's performance in the match was described as being "speedy and enterprising", scored West Coasts only points in the game from an intercept try, with Mike Gilbert's attempted conversion narrowly missing.

With West Coast attacking strongly and only trailing by 5-3, referee Ernest Empson inexplicably made an error with his time keeping, blowing full time early, with some reports saying there was still as many as 10 minutes still to play. After the match, the West Coast players held no malice towards referee Empson, and at the aftermatch speeches, commended him on his performance throughout the game. That year would also see Martyn score a try, helping his side rest the prized Seddon Shield from holders Buller in Westport, in a 9-3 victory. 

In 1933, Martyn had a wonderful year of Rugby on the West Coast, as his Cobden R.F.C were crowned West Coast senior club champions after winning the Wallsend Taylorville Estates Cup, and in representative Rugby for West Coast, his team won the Rundle Cup, defended the Seddon Shield, winning 7 out of its 8 games, including three wins against Buller, while also securing a 9-8 victory at home to Canterbury. 

The only loss that season was to Canterbury, 23-14, in a Ranfurly Shield match at Lancaster Park in Christchurch in front of 18,000 fans, including 2,000 West Coast fans who made the journey. Martyn kicked 8 points in the match, from 2 penalties and a conversion. 

From Martyn's 19 games for West Coast, he'd muster 95 points from 9 tries, 16 conversions and 12 penalties. From there he moved to South Canterbury,  where he'd represent them in 8 games over the 1934 and 1935 seasons, scoring 5 tries and kicking 8 penalties and 5 conversions. 

In 1934 he also played in an All Black trial in Oamaru, and while initially picked as a reserve for the South Island Possibles side, he ended up coming off the bench at half time for the South Island Probables side, where he scored a try and kicked a penalty. The match featured some familiar faces for Martyn, as he faced off against former West Coast team mates Arthur Fong and Mike Gilbert in the Possibles team, while in the Probables side, he got to play alongside former West Coast team-mates, Ron King, Bernie Scandrett and William McNeight, one last time. 

In total during Martyn's first-class career, he played 30 games, scoring 15 tries, while kicking 25 conversions and 16 penalties for a total of 143 points.  

During World War II, Martyn served as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal New Zealand Airforce, 75th squadron. On Tuesday 21st of November, 1944 at 1.46pm, the Lancaster bomber that the 35-year-old Martyn was piloting with a crew of seven, took off from the Mepal RAF Airfield in Cambridgeshire, alongside two other Lancasters on a mine laying mission in the Olso Fjord, Norway. 

Two of the aircraft planted their mines in good visibility and without opposition, but Martyn's bomber was lost without trace, presumed to have been shot down over the sea. Martyn had flown over 700 hours and the operation was his 31st. 

The death of Martyn was officially presumed 10 months later in a letter from the Air Department to his mother Jessie, at her 43 Murray Street address in Greymouth on September 27th, 1945, which reads as follows.

Dear Mrs Martyn.

Further to my letter of the 30th August, 1945, I regret to advise that Air Ministry has now officially presumed the death of your son, Acting Flight Lieutenant Leslie Arthur Martyn as having occurred on 21st November, 1944.

The Minister of Defence desires me to convey to you on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government his deepest sympathy with you in your great loss.

T.A Barrow

Air Secretary 

All seven crew are commemorated at the Runnymeade Memorial in Surrey, England. 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.